Field Hockey

Bears Score Three Straight Goals en Route to 3-2 Win over Quinnipiac

Oct 04, 2011

PROVIDENCE, RI – Freshman Meghan O'Donnell (Winchester, MA) scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season to spark a 3-0 Bears' run, as the Brown field hockey team (2-8) overcame an early, 1-0, deficit to earn a 3-2 victory over Quinnipiac (6-5) on Tuesday afternoon at Warner Roof.

The Bobcats opened the scoring just 8:44 into the game when Kimberly Cunniff fired a hard shot past freshman Shannon McSweeney (Boxborough, MA) on a Quinnipiac corner.

However, the Bears continued to generate chances of their own and O'Donnell tied the game in the 22nd minute when she finished a beautiful cross from sophomore Avery Burns (Millersville, MD), who recorded her team-leading sixth assist of the season. Burns carried the ball down the right side and sent the cross to O'Donnell, who one-timed the ball to the far corner before goalie Nicole Lewis had time to recover to the backdoor post.

The score remained knotted at one through the end of the first half, but senior Kit Masini (Ann Arbor, MI) scored her first of the season just 4:42 into the second half to give the Bears a 2-1 lead.

Senior Leslie Springmeyer (New Vernon, NJ) earned her second assist of the year, setting Masini up with a pass from the top left of the circle. Masini corralled the ball in front of the cage, and with Lewis moving to the left to cover the far post, Masini slipped the ball to the near side, giving Brown the lead for good.

Following their second goal, the Bears dominated the play, earning a 5-1 advantage in shots over the next 13 minutes, and increasing their lead to 3-1 on the second goal of the year for freshman Clayton Christus (Bernardsville, NJ). On a Brown corner, freshman Haley Alvarez (Martinsville, NJ) sent the ball up to senior Laura Iacovetti (Blue Bell, PA), who left it for Christus for the shot to the right side at 52:20.

Now trailing, 3-1, the Bobcats pressured the Bears' defense relentlessly, looking to climb back into the game. Quinnipiac's Jess Rusin brought the visitors to within one less than four minutes after Brown's third goal, but that was as close as they would get, despite outshooting Brown 5-2 over the final 10 minutes of play.

Masini led Brown with six shots, five of them on goal, while O'Donnell had three, two of which were on cage, as the Bears outshot Quinnipiac 18-11. Both teams earned six penalty corners.

McSweeney finished with six saves, three in each half, while Lewis made seven saves for the Bobcats.

Brown continues action on Sunday, October 9, when it travels to Fairfield for a 2:00 p.m. game against the Stags.